Memories of Vietnam

I am on a email list of many former colleagues who worked for the same program we were with over 40 years ago in Vietnam. - Vietnam Christian Service, plus several other programs that were there to try to bind up some of the wounds of war - albeit inadequately.   There are many I don't know personally because we were there at different times.  However, we all feel a sense of connectedness because of the experience of working with the Vietnamese who were caught up in that terrible war.  By some estimates almost 2 million Vietnamese died in the war... Many of us witnessed the anguish brought upon the Vietnamese by that unjust war perpetrated by the US> 

One of the most famous Vietnamese song writers and singers of that time, Trinh Cong Son, made lasting impact on many in Vietnam for the depth of his words and music that described what the Vietnamese population was going through. He was sort of the Vietnamese equivalent of the protest singers in America in the 60s. Rich Fuller, an American who still lives in Vietnam, keeps these songs and their meaning alive via concerts and publicizing them.  We recently go this from him:

"Here is a YouTube link to one of Trinh Cong Son's songs about the effects of the war on the people, "Lullaby of the Artillery" (Dai Bac Ru Dem) in English with captions.

I can't recall who gave it to me, but I found it by accident and it is the best recording I have seen of it despite having performed it dozens of times in different countries, including Viet Nam."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERq9xwrXNPU

If you want to see more videos by and about Rich Fuller,including his singing here is a another site:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCygdVfu7zs84xLi2PSq-aNw


Many former colleagues sent responses to Rich, including this one:

Thank you for this, Rich!

I was with Chris Wain last June. He shot the movie of the “napalm girl” featured in your piece. On Monday I had lunch in Vancouver with the Kim Phuc - yes. the napalm girl.

Tonight I watched a new BBC special on the Tet Offensive by Peter Snow - so it is all back!
 

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